Jay Inslee in 2016 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Education:
Prioritize early childhood education

We've provided funding for every child to have all-day kindergarten. Every single child deserves a great education in our public schools. We've reduced class sizes in our kindergarten-through-third grade classrooms. And because we know a high-quality
teacher is the single most important asset in every classroom, we provided funding for more teacher mentoring opportunities, especially for new teachers. And we were able to provide them with a cost-of-living adjustment -- the first since 2008.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

On Education:
Increase teacher salary to help recruit and retain

To recruit and retain teachers, my plan would raise their beginning salary, from just under $36,000 to $40,000 per year. Then, to help make all teacher salaries more competitive, my plan also provides a minimum
1 percent raise to all other teachers. I propose we pay for it through elimination of some tax breaks whose benefits simply do not outweigh our obligations to our students, to our teachers and to our schools.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

On Gun Control:
Gun violence is a public health crisis

More people in Washington are dying from firearm fatalities than even from traffic accidents. We have a public health crisis in need of a public health solution. We can and must find effective ways to reduce the rates of accidental shootings,
gun crime and gun-related suicide. My executive order would strengthen the background check system approved by voters in 2014 to collect information that will drive solutions to gun violence.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

On Jobs:
Lower paid workers deserve to earn more

I stand on this rock-solid belief: If you work 40 hours a week, you deserve a wage that puts a roof over your head and food on the table. And you shouldn't have to give up a day's pay if you or your kids get sick.
But it is not just minimum-wage workers who are falling behind. The problem is most workers are not sharing in the fruits of their own productivity. Workers are producing more goods and services per hour than at any other time in our state's history.

Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Washington legislature

On Jobs:
State should actively work to reduce CEO-worker pay gap

The CEO-to-worker pay ratio is more than 300-to-1. I'm fine paying for exceptional results but I believe that these gaps should be transparent. I think the State Investment Board as a shareholder in companies can help, the board currently votes against
executive compensation packages if they do not align with the company's financial performance. I've asked the investment board to go further and exercise its voting authority to reduce the widening pay gap between CEOs and their workers. I'm encouraging